Just Don't Deceive Me
by oohwhatnow
Summary: The boy took a deep breath and ran his hand through his sandy brown hair before replacing his hat on his head. He could tell she wasn't going to back down. That's what had attracted him to her in the first place; her inability to remain silent.
1. Prologue

Just Don't Deceive Me Oohwhatnow Rated PG-13 Disclaimer: All of the characters in this story are owned by Disney, but the plot and the people not from the movie belong to me!  
  
"I'm telling ya! It ain't mine!"  
  
"No? Then who the hell's the father huh? Tell me that Paul!"  
  
The boy took a deep breath and ran his hand through his sandy brown hair before replacing his hat on his head. He took a quick look into the bright green eyes before him, filled with fury, yet still sparkling like emeralds in the setting sun. He could tell she wasn't going to back down. That's what had attracted him to her in the first place; her inability to remain silent.  
  
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She was an average girl. Average in height, average in weight, not the most gorgeous girl, but certainly not ugly. Average everywhere, except for her eyes. Even in the middle of that freezing winter when she was found her eyes told everything in their glory. When she smiled, they laughed mockingly, when she was sad, her eyes held disappointment. But when she was proving you wrong, they danced. This is what he knew about her. This is what everyone knew about her.  
  
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It was the coldest winter any of the boys could remember. They slept in full winter clothing, the younger ones sometimes crawling in bed together for body heat. The floor was ice cold to the touch and, seeing as they had no more extra clothing, it took an effort to get them out of bed. The water for bathing was, if possible, worse than the wind-chill.  
  
During the days, they were expected to sell, but no one wanted to stop to buy a paper, no matter how pitiful looking the boys were. At least one boy got frost-bitten a day, but they had to continue selling. It was their life.  
  
When it snowed, it was beautiful for awhile, until it piled up so high they couldn't turn anywhere without walking through a snow bank. The carriages of the rich would drive by, washing them in the slush gathered on the road. The faces of the children inside the carriages were pressed against the windows, their cheeks glowing, eyes carefully following the huddled forms of the boys standing outside, finding various ways to keep warm.  
  
But no matter how harsh it seemed, Central Park was always beautiful. The older boys would often meet and sell there, taking advantage of the happy families ice-skating, or the couples going through a stroll through the icy wonder that was the park. The people there were always willing to buy from the boys, but the atmosphere for the boys was, if possible, even worse. Not only were they cold and frostbitten, now they had to pine over the loss of their own families. That's when one boy found her.  
  
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REVIEW PLEASE!!!! I'll love you forever! This is my favorite story I've got up so far, so it'd be great to know your reactions as well! I don't care even if it's just "Good" It's a review!!! 


	2. Salve Regina

Just Don't Deceive Me Chapter one Oohwhatnow Rated PG-13 Disclaimer: All of the characters in this story are owned by Disney, but the plot and the people not from the movie belong to me!  
  
He took a deep breath in the bitter cold air and ran the back of his hand across his nose. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a brand new pack of cigarettes. He tapped one out of it's case, stuck it in between his lips and reached into his pocket for a match. His pocket was empty.  
  
"God damn it," he thought, biting down on the cigarette, wincing as the sharp, sour taste entered his mouth. "A brand new pack too!" This was the summer he'd started smoking; it kept him warmer than not. He looked across the vast prairie of white, blemished only by happy couples and other newsies. The children were all in school and it was a slow selling time. He made his way over to a bench to find other ways of keeping warm. As he got closer, he found there was already a figure, lying on their back on the bench, smoking a cigarette. Looking closer still, he saw it was a girl.  
  
She had long, thick, dark red hair, piled up in a bun on top of her head, tendrils spiraling down her face. She was wearing a navy blue woolen skirt with numerous holes, but underneath, he could see a pair of light gray trousers. She had a dark gray pea-coat covering a thin white blouse and she had the smallest pair of shoes on he'd ever seen. Her eyes were closed as a she blew a smoke ring up into the air and their opened a small amount as she watched it ascend to the heavens before placing the cigarette back in between her lips.  
  
"Uh, excuse me. Ma'am?" He got no response from the girl besides another smoke ring. "Miss? Uh, my name is Racetrack Higgins and I was wondering, Miss, if you happen to have a spare match about you? If I may."  
  
She sat up, finally looking at the boy. He retreated a bit before he realized he was being foolish. She threw the remainder of her cigarette into the snow, watching the steam now hissing up from the ground. He looked carefully at her features as a smirk came to her face. He decided that the whole of her was greater than the sum of her parts.  
  
Her nose was a bit too large for her face, her chin jutted sharply outward. Her legs were short and stubby compared to her long torso and her eye teeth were pushed further forward than the rest of their more straightly aligned counterparts. But if you looked at the whole of her, not choosing any certain feature, she was fairly attractive. He shook his head as he realized she had her hand out to him, holding a match.  
  
"You wanted a light?" she asked mischievously. He could tell her voice was usually thick with sarcasm and was unaccustomed to kindness. She struck the match against the metal leg of the bench and held it out to him. He quickly pulled out the cigarette he'd been planning on lighting earlier and held the tip of it to the dancing flame before him, never removing his eyes from her face. She grinned as he pulled away and killed the light with her fingertips. "You're welcome." She rolled her eyes at him, voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"Thanks," he replied, trying to be as kind as he could muster to this strange girl. He smiled as he felt the warm smoke fill her lungs, then turned to return to selling, but he could almost fee the girl asking him something inside his head. Something telling him that this was a girl who was different than the others he knew. Something telling him that all she wanted was company.  
  
"Hey, I'm just headed to meet some of my friends for dinner. You wanna come with? Get out of the cold?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him suspiciously. "I'm not looking for any action, I swear. You just look like you could use a good meal in you." She broke out into a smile. Thanks to her prominent chin, her cheeks went up, high, and dimples appeared.  
  
"Alright," she sighed, standing up and brushing the snow off of her legs, "But you're buying." He groaned to himself as she pulled her peacoat tighter around her body, realizing that what little money he had, now had to be split between two. But he got himself into it. She cleared her throat, as if waiting, then turned around. He put his hands in his pockets, then went to walk by her.  
  
"I...erm...I never caught your name." He was trying to make conversation as they slowly made their way out of Central Park.  
  
"That's cuz I never dropped it," she retorted. He fell silent. They walked like that, neither saying anything, just listening to the sounds of the city, until their steps fell on the hard ears of the cobblestones. "Laurel," she finally said. He jumped at the sudden voice.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Laurel. My name? You wanted my name and I'm telling you. Laurel Connolley," she replied, snickering a little to herself at his lack of understanding.  
  
"Well. Nice to meet you Laurel. I'm Racetrack Higgins," he replied, turning a corner. She lifted up her skirt and petticoat to catch up to him.  
  
"So you've said. I take it you're a newsie?" she asked. He stopped in front of a building with peeling green paint on the door, the hinges so rusty that if you slammed the door, it'd fall off. The windows were dusty, making the figures inside hard to see. As he reached out to open the door, a rock came sailing through the open window in the door, just narrowly missing his head.  
  
"Cheese it Race!" came a voice from the inside, "No one wants you here, you guttersnipe!" Race groaned to himself and turned around to face the girl to be met with a strong look of interest in her eyes.  
  
"Let's go," he requested, rolling his eyes at the door. He took her by the elbow and began to lead her away.  
  
"What's the matter? Why do we have to go?" she asked. He sighed.  
  
"Spot's here."  
  
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That's it for today boys and girls! Next week is spring break and I'm partying the week away!!! And while I'm not doing that, I'll be updating my other stories for those of you who are fans of those!!! Please R&R and any ideas you want in here, lemme know! 


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